Congratulations to the RCoA on the release of its first online logbook facility. The project aims to tie together different types of data entry from procedures, sessions and caselogs while updating and replacing the older e-portfolio. In terms of integration with existing logbooks, the College has released the following information on its website:

“The logbook records information differently to how current logbooks do. Why is this?When designing the logbook, we needed to consider anaesthetists in training, consultant/career grade doctors, and ACCS doctors. The Logbook is split into different types of logs; however, we have designed the logbook to support all user groups. The information you log (as an anaesthetist in training) will produce a summary report identical to that contained within the anaesthetic curriculum.”

“There are no options for me to add my own operations, anaesthetics, regionals etc (via a free text box).We hope to continue developing the reporting feature of the logbook and providing different types of reports. Having a set list, rather than free text, means that we are able to produce future reporting features that will support anaesthetists in training and trainers. We are looking into giving the user the ability to add their own operation (if they cannot find this from the list).”

“Will I be able to link my own logbook to the platform?At present, there is no functionality to allow the user to import their old logbook data. This is because of the following:• There are multiple logbook software available that hold slightly different data. Any import would need to be manual (the user sorting an excel download and uploading this to the platform)• The structure for the logbook on the platform is different from existing logbooks”

“We appreciate that this will mean that a wealth of old logbook information will need to be kept separate to the platform. One solution would be to download a summary of your old logbook data and upload this as an activity to the platform.”

If you have any lingering worries about data security and potentially identifiable information you may have recorded over the years within your logbook, now is a good time to do some spring-cleaning.

Most of the logbook fields are designed as safe, non-specific ‘pick-list’ options. The fields where you may have inadvertently entered personally identifiable information are:

Ref

DoB

User 1

User 2

Solutions

Ref
Click on the field name ‘Ref’ (white text, blue background). This will call up a routine that allows you to replace all entries in this field with a new sequence of ascending numbers based on order of entry into the logbook.

DoB
Dates of birth can similarly be scrubbed from the logbook by clicking on the field name ‘DoB’ (white text, blue background). The routine first uses any entered DoBs to calculate an age that is permanently stored in the ‘Age’ field prior to deletion of all dates of birth.

User 1 or User 2
Check the contents of the ‘User’ fields by clicking on the field name (as above). This will reveal any terms entered into the field so far. If you spot an identifier that should be removed, use the search facility to highlight these entries so that they can be amended.

The logbook makes use of a contextual list of operations. So when you pick a specialty, you will be presented with a list of operations relevant to that specialty… but maybe the list isn’t as relevant to your practice as you would like it to be?

The solution:

Change the list to suit your needs.
The ‘Operating Table’ can be found via:

Scripts > Toolbox > Open Operating Table

Layouts > DESKTOP > Operating Table

Click on the ‘+’ icon at the bottom of the table to add a new entry.

Each new entry must have a ‘specialty‘ label (enter this carefully to ensure the operation appears under the correct list) and an ‘operation‘ which will then appear listed in alphabetical order.

Close the ‘Operating Table’ window when you have finished (on a laptop), or return to the main menu layout on iOS.

The self-contained Mac logbook/work diary runtime packages won’t work in Sierra/High Sierra, but FileMaker do permit download of a free time-limited but fully functional trial version of the Mac FileMaker Pro software that could be used, for instance, to try out printing all the reports for an upcoming appraisal?

Tip #1

Unless you have to… don’t do it!
Instead move your up to date ‘logbook9.fmp12’ file from one device to another as an email attachment. It will open if you put it in the relevant logbook folder to replace the existing file on a PC/Mac, and it will open in FileMaker Go on an iOS device.

Tip #2

If your cases are coming from an older or different logbook version, you can import them on a Mac/PC from one of the standard automatic text file backups (look in the logbook ‘backups’ folder). The fields are automatically aligned if you use the top menu: ‘Scripts’ > ‘Importing Cases’ > ‘Update from a previous version’ routine.

Tip #3

If you have already started a second version 9 logbook, you can only merge logbook files and cases on a Mac/PC.

Open your Mac/PC logbook

Go to the menu bar at the top of the screen: File > Import Records > File…

Change the ‘Tab-Separated Text Files’ option to ‘FileMaker Pro Files’

Select your other ‘logbook9.fmp12’ file with the additional cases in it

Change the import order from ‘Last Used’ to ‘Matching Names’

Go for it! (you can still delete the imported cases if it all goes wrong)

If the import results in duplicates of some cases, these can be safely eliminated later in the ‘Toolbox’ section.

Tip #4

Get rid of old copies of logbooks on iOS devices, otherwise if you try to copy a new ‘logbook9.fmp12’ file to the device, iOS will automatically rename it ‘logbook9 1’ to prevent two files having the same name. This then causes confusion, especially with backups.

Tip #5

If you are trying to import cases from another source (e.g. Excel spreadsheet) the process is more complicated, and you will have to map the spreadsheet fields manually to the logbook fields during the import process.

These are the names and format of the 24 core data fields within the logbook:

If you can no longer open your logbook after an iOS update, your FileMaker Go version (not the logbook itself) is probably out of date.

The logbook datafile ‘logbook9.fmp12’ runs on all versions of FileMaker Go (12-16) but, iOS 11 has been designed to run only 64-bit apps and so Apple have effectively abandoned ship on older 32-bit versions of the app. FileMaker Go versions 15 (released March 2017) and 16 (released July 2017) are 64-bit, and so continue to work fine after the iOS 11 upgrade.

The Solution

Go to the App store. Search for the new 64-bit version (16) of FileMaker Go as it will have been distributed as a different app.

Install it to your iOS device.

Then use either iTunes or iMazing (https://imazing.com/download) to get the ‘logbook9.fmp12’ file off the old FileMaker Go app on your iPhone, and onto a laptop/desktop computer.

Email the ‘logbook9.fmp12’ file to yourself as an email attachment.

Open the email on your iPhone after you have installed the newest version of Filemaker Go, and the mail app will offer you the option to install it to the new FMGo version.

So… you’ve just upgraded your Mac’s operating system and the logbook will no longer work! The good news is that your data is still safe, but regrettably the decision to block FileMaker Pro runtime on OS X Sierra and High Sierra is down to Apple… ironic considering they make both products, but completely beyond anyone else’s control. I’m writing this post on a Mac, but sadly won’t be upgrading my OS X for that very reason. In terms of making a logbook that will work on all devices, the College is currently commissioning a server-based logbook from a commercial company called ‘Nomensa’, but it is likely to take them some time to complete it. FileMaker Pro has been a useful platform up until this move by Apple as it works on all versions of Windows from 95 through to 10, and all versions of OS from 9 through to El Capitan. We have used it since 1996 so it has stood the test of time reasonably well as a cross-platform engine. If Apple see the light and remove the block we will adapt it, but there isn’t any way round it at present.

Solutions

All the reports are available on iOS, but you need to locate your ‘logbook9.fmp12’ within the ‘RCA Mac Logbook 9’ folder. To upload your ‘logbook9.fmp12’ to an iOS device:
– First download the free ‘FileMaker Go 16’ app from the app store on the iOS device
– Then email your ‘logbook9.fmp12’ as an attachment to yourself and open the file on the device using FMGo

To upload to PC:
– Install the PC version of the logbook from www.logbook.org.uk
– Replace the ‘logbook9.fmp12’ file in the PCs @logbook9 folder with your old mac ‘logbook9.fmp12’ file